Solstices brought Mayan communities together, using monuments shaped by science and religion – and kingly ambitions, too

By Gerardo Aldana, Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara

K’ahk’ Uti’ Witz’ K’awiil knew his history.

For 11 generations, the Mayan ruler’s dynasty had ruled Copan, a city-state near today’s border between Honduras and Guatemala. From the fifth century C.E. into the seventh century, scribes painted his ancestors’ genealogies into manuscripts and carved them in stone monuments throughout the city.

Around 650, one particular piece of architectural history appears to have caught his eye.

Centuries before, village masons built special structures for public…

Read complete article

~	The most realistic way to replace Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee – allow him a graceful exit

~	Kenya: Witnesses Describe Police Killing Protesters

~	Supreme Court rules cities can ban homeless people from sleeping outdoors – Sotomayor dissent summarizes opinion as ‘stay awake or be arrested’

~	Supreme Court makes prosecution of Trump on obstruction charge more difficult, with ruling to narrowly define law used against him and Jan. 6 rioters

~	How camping bans − like the one the Supreme Court just upheld − can fit into ‘hostile design’: Strategies to push out homeless people

~	UN rights chief calls time on ‘economic violence’ against women and girls

~	Nigeria battles cervical cancer as doctors raise awareness about screening and HPV vaccine

~	Global interest in ayahuasca is leading to spiritual tourism and creating challenges for local communities

~	Euro 2024: have England lost their nerve? A psychologist explains

~	One in five 18- to 24-year-olds don’t wash their hands at festivals. Here’s what you need to know about hand hygiene